Last Wednesday, I went to a "real" music gig for the first time in my life. It was an event called BigSound Festival, with four artists in its line-up, but I must admit, I came specifically for Blur. In that regard, it seemed I wasn't alone, though. Most festival goers were expecting Blur, not Van She, or Tegan and Sara, or The Temper Trap.
In a matter of hours after Blur wrapped up their performance in Jakarta, my whole experience at the gig had already seemed unreal. If it wasn't for my red, swollen hands from all the clapping, and for the ticket stub and concert ID that I still had, I might've concluded that it was, indeed, only a dream.
From the first number, their 1994 hit "Girls & Boys," I had sufficiently been pumped-up, but somewhere between "Country House" and "Parklife," I became completely mental. I was jumping around and screaming on top of my lungs, and when a girl who stood behind me said, "That person is very much carried away, don't you think?" to her friend, which he responded with, "Who?" for which she answered, "The person standing in front of us," do you think I cared? Did I care shit. That, I hasten to add, was out of character of me. I don't like attracting attention to myself, and in normal circumstances, I'd definitely try to keep a low profile in public places. But at that moment, I honestly didn't care what people thought about me. It helped that almost everyone went wild too, I suppose.
And you know what the weirdest thing was? I don't even like Blur that much. Don't get me wrong, I do like them and all, but they're not exactly on top of my favorite-bands-of-all-time list. (Back in the day, I actually preferred Oasis to Blur. These days, I'm saving my love for Radiohead and Manic Street Preachers.) But it didn't stop me from being "carried away" at the gig. It's like I was enchanted or something.
I also think it fascinating how a rock concert could simultaneously be a communal event and a very personal affair. I owed it to my fellow concert-attendants for being passionate and thus creating an intense, lively atmosphere, but at the same time, I was enjoying myself inside this little bubble where there's nobody but me and the musicians up there on stage. My point is, a concert could be a "blast" for all I know, but when you're not totally immersed in the music and the performance, it wouldn't mean anything.
As far as first concert went, it's not bad! Not bad all! I have Blur to thank to.
Note: Special mention goes to Dyandra Entertainment, for organizing everything smoothly. I'll be looking forward for their projects in the future. And I'd like to apologize to Van She, for being cold and not giving them the appreciation that they duly deserved.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Thank You, Sir Alex! 5/09/2013 05:42:00 PM
Rumors about Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement as Manchester United manager started flying around on Tuesday. I paid no heed to them. But then, came the official announcement, published on the club's website.
Those who are uninterested in football might wonder what the fuss is all about. After all, what's so unusual about a seventy-one year old man stepping down from his job?
Sir Alex's achievement as manager, the titles he won with Manchester United and Aberdeen, has been well documented (I'll let Wikipedia do the talking), a testament to his ability. But United supporters don't love him just because he's been around for twenty-six seasons and has granted us numerous titles over the years. It's more than that: without Sir Alex, it's debatable whether United would enjoy the success they have today. (I guess we also need to thank United directors, past and present, for their business acumen, but that's a story for another day.)
To put things into perspective, when Alex Ferguson took over United from Ron Atkinson in November 1986, the club was second to bottom of the table in the old English First Division. The last time they won the league was in 1967, in the time of legendary manager Sir Matt Busby. It took Ferguson three and a half years to win his first title for United, the 1989-1990 FA Cup (and if rumor is to believed, he was this close to being sacked for failing to deliver.) There's a whole lot of song and dance about how Arsene Wenger single-handedly changed the British football culture, but way before the Frenchman worked his magic at Arsenal (I'm not being facetious here, in case you Arsenal fans take offense), Ferguson had put a stop to the drinking culture at United and worked on improving players' fitness.
For younger United supporters, including me, Sir Alex Ferguson is a permanent fixture to Manchester United. We never knew the time when he's not at the club, when United had to struggle just to get to the upper quarter of the table by the end of the season. Not seeing him on the sideline next season is going to be very hard for me. Uncertain times await, but for now, let us show Sir Alex Ferguson our gratitude, for all the happiness he has brought us, the supporters. Thank you, Sir Alex.
Recommended read:
Those who are uninterested in football might wonder what the fuss is all about. After all, what's so unusual about a seventy-one year old man stepping down from his job?
Sir Alex's achievement as manager, the titles he won with Manchester United and Aberdeen, has been well documented (I'll let Wikipedia do the talking), a testament to his ability. But United supporters don't love him just because he's been around for twenty-six seasons and has granted us numerous titles over the years. It's more than that: without Sir Alex, it's debatable whether United would enjoy the success they have today. (I guess we also need to thank United directors, past and present, for their business acumen, but that's a story for another day.)
To put things into perspective, when Alex Ferguson took over United from Ron Atkinson in November 1986, the club was second to bottom of the table in the old English First Division. The last time they won the league was in 1967, in the time of legendary manager Sir Matt Busby. It took Ferguson three and a half years to win his first title for United, the 1989-1990 FA Cup (and if rumor is to believed, he was this close to being sacked for failing to deliver.) There's a whole lot of song and dance about how Arsene Wenger single-handedly changed the British football culture, but way before the Frenchman worked his magic at Arsenal (I'm not being facetious here, in case you Arsenal fans take offense), Ferguson had put a stop to the drinking culture at United and worked on improving players' fitness.
For younger United supporters, including me, Sir Alex Ferguson is a permanent fixture to Manchester United. We never knew the time when he's not at the club, when United had to struggle just to get to the upper quarter of the table by the end of the season. Not seeing him on the sideline next season is going to be very hard for me. Uncertain times await, but for now, let us show Sir Alex Ferguson our gratitude, for all the happiness he has brought us, the supporters. Thank you, Sir Alex.
Recommended read:
- Football - Bloody Hell!: The Biography of Alex Ferguson, Patrick Barclay
- Managing My Life: My Biography, Alex Ferguson
Thursday, May 02, 2013
New Blog 5/02/2013 10:42:00 AM
I'm making a new blog at BookLikes. From now on, I'll be posting reviews, notes and other book-related stuff there.
I have had nothing but positive experience since joining BookLikes a couple of weeks ago. The staff is very responsive to your requests and inquiries. Since I joined, they have made several improvements to the site--adding new features like multishelving, more online vendors to choose books from--and I'm optimistic that they would continue to do so.
I have had nothing but positive experience since joining BookLikes a couple of weeks ago. The staff is very responsive to your requests and inquiries. Since I joined, they have made several improvements to the site--adding new features like multishelving, more online vendors to choose books from--and I'm optimistic that they would continue to do so.